Nico Tortorella opened up about his girlfriend, Bethany Meyers, and revealed that her family does not support the couple’s polyamorous relationship.
“This is a story that we’ve heard from thousands of people on a regular basis about being cut off from their families,” the Younger actor, 29, exclusively told Us Weekly at the Worldwide Orphans 13th Annual Gala in NYC on Monday, November 13. “I don’t think that is necessarily the case here, but at the end of the day, it makes me keep wanting to talk about our story and our lives so it could positively affect other peoples’.”
Tortorella, who came out as sexually fluid in June 2016, is hopeful that society will continue to accept the way he chooses to live his life. “I think that in this age of mass communication and interconnectivity, we have the power to really change the way that people are behaving and feeling,” he added. “At the end of the day, I’m going to be here with an open mind and an open heart and open ears, and if people are willing to change around me, I am here to help facilitate that.”
Despite the tension that the Scream 4 actor has encountered with Meyers’ family, he has still received “tons” of support. “It’s an interesting thing to talk about. It has been talked about before, in the past — not quite like this and by somebody who looks like me and represents a certain thing in the industry, and in the end, we’re still trying to figure it out,” he explained. “We hope people will figure it out with us. We’re not trying to exploit our story or the people we bring into our lives. We’re trying to shine light on relationships that are otherwise non-traditional.”
Tortorella added that he feels a responsibility to stand up for those who also engage in polyamorous relationships. “I think that for whatever reason, this information has been channeled through me and people have been listening,” he said. “I’m gonna stand up for that.”
The TV Land star has been dating Meyers, who identifies as gay, for 11 years. In July, the couple opened up about their relationship in an interview with The Advocate. “I think the way I used the word fluidity is like fluid in everything, fluid in train of thought,” Tortorella noted. “It doesn’t always have to be one thing. The one thing anybody can talk abut, no matter race, religion, sexuality or gender, is love.”
